
Campbell Plowden and Eli Soria with aguajal copal at Brillo Nuevo. Photo by Angel Raygada/Center for Amazon Community
CACE founder Campbell Plowden’s first-hand account about working with native communities to develop essential oils from the resin and leaves of aromatic trees in the Peruvian Amazon was the most popular fieldwork interview published by UK naturalist
James Borrell on his blog. His piece describes the location, highlights, challenges, and target species in CACE projects, and tips for doing research in the biologically and socially complex environment around traditional communities in the Amazon.
Here’s one highlight: “I love hanging out with the women artisans in the village. Throughout the day they seamlessly move from stoking a wood fire, bring water from the well, cooking manioc bread, rolling chambira palm fibers on their thighs, pounding mishquipanga fruits to make a purple dye, nurse a baby, roast some fish their son has just brought home, weave a bag for an hour, wash some clothes, take a bath in the river, and still have enough energy to share stories with a curious gringo around a kerosene lamp before bed.”
See Fieldwork: Rainforest Communities. Check out all 20 fieldwork stories by other ecologists working around the world and vote for your favorite.

Campbell Plowden with Brillo Nuevo artisans. Photo by Yully Rojas/Center for Amazon Community Ecology